NAVCA's annual conference and AGM took place in Sheffield from 6th/7th December 2018

Upcoming events

Forging Community 2018

Catch up on all the action from our annual conference

Forging Community 2018 saw more than 80 delegates from the NAVCA membership and the wider third sector come together in Sheffield for two days of learning, debate and collaboration.

Our programme of speakers, provocateurs and pirates fulfilled their promise to inspire, provoke and leave our audience with much to mull over.

Opening Friday's event, our new Chair John Tizard spoke of the changes the sector is facing including economic, technological and a changing relationship between citizen and state. He spoke of his ambition to be radical, values driven and actively engaged in the national policy debate. (You can read more about our new Chair's vision for NAVCA in his recent message to members.)

Our first keynote speaker, Dr Asif Afridi, responded to critics of the recent Civil Society Futures Inquiry - of which he was a panel member - stating that the main findings of the inquiry all pointed to a need for the sector to change how it behaves and thinks, in order to have greater impact.

Nathan Yeowall launched NPC's Place Declaration, inviting audience members to break out to discuss four of the seven pledges within it. This was followed by a lively and powerful Revolutionaries Round table during which Cathy Evans asked if we've had 'our moral compasses outsourced to researchers', and Dan Ebanks challenged local authorities to make better use of the Social Value Act.

During the afternoon, keynote speaker Baroness Tina Stowell, addressed "some of the most important and influential people in the sector, and in society". She went on to describe how the Charity Commission will do more to hold charities to account in the public interest, including providing better, more targeted guidance for trustees. You can read the full transcript of Baroness Stowell's speech here.

Provocative ideas focussed on social power, influence, good power and future-proofing, and the day ended on a high with the help of 21st century pirate, Sam Coniff-Allende who inspired delegates to break rules, act on frustrations, and 'do the wrong thing, because sometimes it's the right thing to do'.

Whether you were unable to attend or just want to relive the best bits, you can watch all of the footage from the livestream, catch up on the hundreds of tweets that were sent throughout the event on #ForginingCommunity and we will be soon be bringing you individual clips of every speaker from Day 2 of Forging Community - watch this space.